TexasBudgetSource.com is proud to bring you the latest news, research, and commentary on Texas transparency.

Remember you can always find new additions to School District, County and City budgets and check registers every quarter through this email newsletter and by checking TexasBudgetSource.com. In this edition:

• Multimedia - Watch Elizabeth Young from the Texas Public Policy Foundation talk about the need for more higher education transparency.
• Publications - Read the Foundation's newest publication, Are Universities Making the Grade in Accountability?, which takes a look at transparency and public universities or read about the impact the Foundation had on advancing transparency legislation in Fiscal Policy: 81st Legislative Session in Review.
• News Headlines
• Feedback

Multimedia

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Publications

Are Texas Universities Making The Grade In Accountability?
By Elizabeth Young
Students and parents invest thousands of dollars a year in the pursuit of quality higher education, with Texans further subsidizing this resource with their tax dollars. Billions in tuition and tax money is spent by Texans each year on public colleges and universities, yet they have little way of knowing how their tax dollars are being spent and what results those dollars yield. Read More...

Fiscal Policy: 81st Legislative Session in Review
By Talmadge Heflin and Kallie Gallagher
The center was successful on a number of fronts this legislative session – from tax reform to budget transparency to state spending. However, there’s still much work that needs to be done in the 2011 legislative session, including meaningful property tax relief, stronger expenditures limits, and additional progress in financial transparency at the state and local level of government. Read More...

News Headlines

Houston Airport: Releasing salary list would make airports vulnerable to terrorists
Texas Watchdog
July 06, 2009: The government agency that oversees Houston’s two major airports – and whose boss stepped down suddenly and without explanation last month – says it does not want to make public a list of how much it pays its employees because the data is “sensitive security information” and its release could endanger passengers’ safety. Read More...

Mr. Sunshine? Ron Paul wins support to audit Fed Reserve
Fox News
June 30, 2009: (Ron) Paul, as of Tuesday, has won 245 co-sponsors to a bill that would require a full-fledged audit of the Federal Reserve by the end of 2010. Read More...

Transparency issues aren’t rare at Irving City Council meetings
Dallas Morning News
June 14, 2009: Irving City Council members made City Manager Tommy Gonzalez one of the highest-paid city managers in Texas last week before ever disclosing to residents the scope of his new compensation and benefits, which could reach nearly $450,000. Read More...